Family Fun
by Kristen3
Summary: An eight-year-old Bay goes out for pizza with her parents and has an encounter with a little deaf girl across the room, never suspecting the connection they share. AU one-shot based on a comment in the S1 finale. Please read Author's Note! My first SAB story!


**Author's Note: **I've been watching _Switched at Birth _on Netflix, and I'm almost done with Season 2 at the moment. I know I'm a bit behind, but when I heard Bay and Daphne talking about how they both went to the same pizza parlor as kids, I began to wonder what might've happened if they'd run into each other. This is obviously a bit AU, but I liked the idea of writing a little Bay. :) I hope I've done justice to the series. Please go easy on me in reviews, since I'm just starting out!

Bay looked around the pizza parlor. She loved being here with her mom and dad and Toby. Sometimes she felt like she was different from them, but they were her family, and they loved her. Her dad was a celebrity here. He'd been a baseball player for the Royals, and now this place had his picture of him on their wall. It made Bay feel good that her family always got special treatment from the staff.

Toby was telling their parents about his music, but Bay wasn't paying any attention. She looked across the room and noticed a little girl about her age. The girl had red hair just like Bay's mom's. The sight surprised her. But, then, lots of people had red hair. She nudged her mom. "I'm gonna go say hi to that girl, OK? I'll be right back." Bay knew how overprotective her mom could be, but she'd only be across the room. And she'd only be gone for a minute.

"OK, sweetheart," Kathryn said. She smiled at her daughter, and then returned her attention to the conversation between John and Toby.

Bay slid down from the seat and walked over. She felt really nervous, like whenever her parents made her show her paintings to their friends. But still, she kept walking. The girl looked lost. Soon she was standing right in front of her. "Hi, I'm Bay."

Regina smiled at Bay. She had to work to maintain her cool. _She doesn't know I'm her mother_, Regina reminded herself. _Just stay calm_. "This is D-A-P-H-N-E," Regina said, spelling her daughter's name out as she spoke.

Bay looked at the woman in confusion. What were those funny movements she made with her hands? Sometimes her dad talked with his hands when he got excited, but she knew that wasn't what it was.

"Daphne can't hear," Regina explained. She turned to Daphne. "This is B-A-Y."

Shyly, Daphne waved. Being around hearing kids was always weird. Her mom always told her to try to make friends, but it was hard when nobody knew how to talk to her.

Bay sensed that the conversation had become awkward. Clearly Daphne wasn't going to talk to her. She glanced back at her parents uncertainly.

Regina followed Bay's gaze back to the other table. _That's Daphne's real family_, she thought. For a split second, she wished she hadn't kept the switch a secret. But what good would it have done? If she'd tried to get custody from the Kennishes, their lawyer would've eaten her for breakfast. A former alcoholic with a couple of DUI's? It didn't take a genius to know how that would turn out! And besides, their small house in East Riverside was the only home Daphne had ever known. How could she send a deaf child to live with a family she didn't even know?

"I think I better go back now," Bay said. Her parents seemed ready to go. "Bye."

For a moment, Regina closed her eyes. Once again, she had to say goodbye to the child who should've been hers. _She has Angelo's eyes_, Regina suddenly thought. If things had been different, Angelo would never have left. There would be no doubting that she was their baby. But she forced those thoughts aside. "Bye. It was nice meeting you." Regina managed to smile.

Kathryn smiled when Bay made her way back to their table. "Did you make a new friend?" she asked.

Bay shook her head. "She can't hear."

"Oh," Kathryn said, disappointed. "Well, that's too bad. But you've got lots of other friends at school, right?"

Bay nodded. She glanced back at Daphne. She was watching from the other side of the restaurant. If Bay felt like she didn't belong in her family, what must it be like to not even be able to hear her mother's voice?

"Come on, let's get out of here," John said, when he noticed Bay seemed to be in another world. "You kids have homework to do, right? We've all had enough of 'family fun' anyway."

Bay followed along behind her parents and Toby. This night hadn't been exactly fun, and she had a feeling she wasn't the only person here who felt that way.

**The End**


End file.
